Winnipeg's Nolan Patrick of the Brandon Wheat Kings was taken second at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

QUEBEC CITY, QC - JANUARY 30: Nolan Patrick #19 of Team Cherry looks on during the third period of his Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at the Videotron Center on January 30, 2017 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)Getty Images

NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 05: Nolan Patrick looks on during media availability for 2017 NHL draft prospects prior to Game Four of the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the Bridgestone Arena on June 5, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: POS2017061616362750Getty Images

QUEBEC CITY, QC - JANUARY 30: Nolan Patrick #19 of Team Cherry and Markus Phillips #52 Team Orr battle for the puck during the first period of their Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at the Videotron Center on January 30, 2017 in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)Getty Images

Brandon Wheat Kings' Nolan Patrick, left, and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies' Anthony-John Greer are separated as they scuffle during third period CHL Memorial Cup hockey action in Red Deer, Saturday, May 21, 2016. Patrick was named the top North American draft-eligible skater for the 2017 Draft by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau on Wednesday.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh ORG XMIT: CPT116THE CANADIAN PRESS

Top Prospect Award recipient Nolan Patrick, from the Brandon Wheat Kings, holds his trophy following a media availability at the Memorial Cup Saturday May 27, 2017 in Windsor. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld ORG XMIT: ajw103THE CANADIAN PRESS

Edmonton's Davis Koch battles Brandon's Nolan Patrick for the puck during the first period of the Edmonton Oil Kings' WHL playoff hockey game against the Brandon Wheat Kings at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alta., on Sunday, March 29, 2015. Codie McLachlan/Edmonton Sun/QMI AgencyCodie McLachlan/Edmonton Sun

Edmonton's Tristan Jarry is scored on by Brandon's Nolan Patrick during the third period of the Edmonton Oil Kings' WHL hockey game against the Brandon Wheat Kings at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alta., on Tuesday, March 31, 2015. The Wheat Kings won 3-2. Codie McLachlan/Edmonton Sun/QMI AgencyCodie McLachlan/Edmonton Sun

Brandon's Nolan Patrick (19) celebrates his goal with goaltender Jordan Papirny (33) during the third period of a WHL game between the Edmonton Oil Kings and the Brandon Wheat Kings at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alta., on Friday January 1, 2016. Ian Kucerak/Edmonton Sun/Postmedia NetworkIan Kucerak/Edmonton Sun

Nolan Patrick

It’s the middle of May and the Patrick family is together at home in Winnipeg, enjoying some of the little things in life like music, food and good conversation.

Stephen and Carrie Patrick’s 18-year-old son Nolan is cooking for the family.

He’s making goose poppers, which are made with goose, wrapped in bacon, and topped with peppers and cheese.

Nolan’s sisters Maddie, 20, and Aimee, 14, are also home, a rarity in a family full of hockey players.

“No one is talking hockey,” says Stephen, who played eight seasons in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques.

“Everyone’s around the house and we’re horsing around and having fun. We live our lives every day. Hockey’s not always front and centre.”

It can’t be easy for that to be true for Nolan, the Brandon Wheat Kings star centre, who is the top-ranked North American skater for Friday’s NHL draft in Chicago.

Nolan may or may not go first overall to the New Jersey Devils (Nico Hischier of the Halifax Mooseheads could go No. 1), but if he doesn’t, he’ll likely go second to the Philadelphia Flyers.

He’s been talked about as a potential first overall pick for more than two years now and he’s had to live with all the pressure, scrutiny and attention that involves, not to mention some ill-timed injuries.

It’s one of the reasons why the Patricks keep things light at home.

“We’re not making a big deal of it,” Stephen says. “My 14-year-old made the prep team for next year at St. Mary’s Academy, so that’s big news. My 20-year-old played in the CIS championship (for the UBC Thunderbirds), so that’s good news. (The draft) is very much on the down low.”

It’s not like any of the attention Nolan is drawing is new for the Patrick family.

It’s just a little different.

Nolan’s grandfather Steve was an all-star offensive lineman with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1952-1964. His dad, Stephen, was drafted 20th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 1980 and his uncle James went ninth overall to the New York Rangers in 1981 before playing 21 seasons as an NHL defenceman.

Times have changed considerably since Stephen and James were NHL prospects.

For instance, Stephen was outside mowing the lawn when he got a call from his friend Dave McDonald (son of former Jets captain Ab McDonald), telling him he had been drafted by the Sabres.

“He heard it on CJOB (radio) and he called me and told me,” Stephen says. “Then someone from the team called me.

“There was no hype. It wasn’t less than now. It was none. It’s not like my dad took the day off work to sit around the house waiting to find out.”

James, who spent the last 11 years as an assistant coach in the NHL and is now the head coach of the WHL’s Kootenay Ice, had a similar experience.

“It was so low key compared to now,” James said. “I didn’t even know it was my draft year until Christmas of that year. The NHL dropped the draft age that year. I was playing Tier II junior in Prince Albert and I had no idea a scout even watched me.

“Now it’s constant fan attention and constant media attention and I find it way harder on a lot of players now. There are some kids who are naturally comfortable with attention and there are shy kids who aren’t and I know I would find it really hard to keep focused.”

Nolan has handled it well, largely thanks to having a family that prides itself on staying grounded.

“I’m just excited to get it over with,” Nolan says of Friday’s first round of the draft.

“It’s going to be an exciting day for me and my family. The media talks about it a lot more than my family. Everyone thinks because we’re a hockey family, that’s all we ever talk about at home but it doesn’t really come up in the house.

“At the end of the day it’s just about who you are trying out for next and I’d be honoured to go anywhere so I’m excited. This is where the work really starts, after you get drafted.”

The athletic genes run strong in Nolan’s family. His mom Carrie was a university volleyball player, as was his aunt Tara Patrick. Carrie’s brother Rich Chernomaz was a professional hockey player and coach.

With the influence of his dad and uncle in the mix, it’s no surprise Nolan excelled at hockey. The 6-foot-2, 198-pound centre scored 92 goals and 205 points in 163 WHL games over the last three seasons.

“I learned a lot about being a person from my dad too,” Nolan says. “He’s an awesome guy and humble in the way he carries himself and the father he is around the house. Those are more the lessons I’ve learned from him than so much hockey.”

The hockey just seemed to come naturally. James remembers young Nolan being glued to the TV every time a game was on.

“I can picture him in his pyjamas watching and I remember him asking me questions,” James says. “He’d say ‘Why did that player do that? He should have done this.’ I was almost blown away because it was something that we coaches would pick up on, not an eight-year-old kid. His dad and I would laugh about it but I do think that transfers into the game because when he got out on the ice, he always had good vision and knew where to go. He knew where the puck was going to end up.”

The last year has been difficult for Nolan. He scored 41 goals and 102 points in 2015-16 and added 13 goals and 30 points in 21 playoff games while leading the Wheat Kings to the league championship and an appearance in the Memorial Cup.

But the 105-game season took its toll and Nolan was injured for much of 2016-17. He missed a chance to play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship and played in only 33 regular season games for the Wheat Kings.

Earlier this month he revealed that he had two surgeries for sports hernias, an injury that has caused prolonged problems for many an NHL player.

He says he’s feeling fine now and whichever team that drafts him will be getting a solid two-way centreman, who is responsible in his own zone, likes playing against the other team’s top players and contributes as much as he can offensively.

“I pride myself on playing in all situations, penalty kill, power play, late in games,” Nolan says.

“He’s got natural talent, he’s got size and he’s got great hands and he’s got vision,” adds James. “So the rest is going to be up to him and how badly he wants it.”

The Patrick family, some of their friends and three of Nolan’s best buddies will be on hand for the draft Friday night at the United Center. While they’ll do their best to keep their cool as usual, it’s clearly a momentous occasion.

“It’s a big day,” Stephen says. “It’s his day. It’s probably a pressure day but we’re going to have fun.

“He seems to be handling it well. He’s working out and doing his thing. He knows that whatever happens, happens. We’re not more happy if he goes No. 1, 2, 3 or 10. No matter what, you’ve got a whole ton of work to get to the next level.”

Patrick to throw out first pitch at Wrigley

On Wednesday afternoon, Nolan Patrick will throw out the first pitch before a Chicago Cubs game at venerable Wrigley Field.

How many 18-year-old Canadian kids can say that?

It’s an honour normally reserved for war heroes, politicians, celebrities and Hall of Fame athletes.

Add potential first-overall NHL draft picks to the list.

The NHL draft is a huge deal these days, with thousands of hockey players, their families, team executives, scouts, media members and fans descending on Chicago for the two-day event Friday and Saturday.

Stephen Patrick, Nolan’s dad, sees the media attention, the television exposure and the fan interest as the biggest differences between today and June 11th, 1980, the day he got drafted. That event was held at the Montreal Forum, but only the top handful of prospects were actually on hand and Stephen stayed home despite being a first-rounder.

“Back in the day, there was the Hockey News that came out monthly and there wasn’t much in the papers leading up to the draft,” Stephen says. “There was stuff in the paper after I got drafted but I don’t remember hearing much about it otherwise.

“Your coach of your junior team sort of has an idea of what’s going on because he’s getting some calls but I don’t remember much about it at all.”

Today a fan can read about any prospect at the click of a button, call up all of his stats and even watch all of his highlights on YouTube.

“So you have to be prepared for people saying whatever they want about your game,” Stephen says.

The 56-year-old also marvelled at today’s game, particularly the playoffs.

“You watch those playoff games and you just go “Oh my gosh,’” Stephen says. “That’s a whole different level from the regular season. If you are an 18-year-old kid, those are a couple of big steps you’ve got to take and there’s a lot of hard work and commitment to get there.”

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